Giving a Little Thanks

The other morning my husband called me at home on my cell phone. As soon as I heard his ring tone, I assumed he needed me to do something. No big deal, that’s often the gist of our telephone conversations.  I hit the green ‘answer’ button and said hey.  He responded with a ‘hey’ back, and proceeded to tell me that I’d been on his mind and he just wanted to call and tell me he loved me.  I think my jaw dropped open. Not that he doesn’t love me or that he doesn’t tell me, but…he hadn’t done anything this spontaneous and sweet in quite a while. The call came out of the blue, and you know? It really made my day.

Simple, random, spontaneous displays of appreciation – what a wonderful and relatively easy way to lift the spirit and warm the heart of someone.  Makes me think.  Makes me think of those who have zipped in and out of my life over the years, the wonderful family and friends who currently touch my little world, and the people who I will meet in the future. Each person leaves me with a blessing, causes me to learn a little bit more about myself, more about our world, and for me – each one brings me that much closer to God.

Those of us here in America will soon be celebrating Thanksgiving.  Most will surround ourselves with family and friends – some whom we adore and some whom we find a little nutty. We will stuff ourselves with a nearly ridiculous amount of food, and we will play games, watch football, engage in good and not so good conversation, and participate in a host of crazy traditions that we find we absolutely must carry on whether they’re worthy or not.  As we sit down to a table full of turkey and ham and mashed potatoes and Grandma’s famous cranberry sauce and the stuffing that no one eats – most of us will take a moment to share our thanks.

Of course I won’t see most of you on Thanksgiving, and I know I’m not always good at letting you know how much I do appreciate you and how deeply you touch my life.  My husband’s act of a simple phone call, a few words expressed with sincerity and affection, lifted my spirit and brought about the theme for this blog. And I know I won’t be able to get all of this out when we sit down for dinner at our house and it’s my turn to share. So, here are my thanks:

Thank you…

To my husband – for your sense of humor and your support and encouragement, for never ever giving up on me, for loving me unconditionally, for the simplicity of being you.

To my kids – for your inspiration, for your hearts that have infinite depth and your spirits that reach out and touch everyone around you, for the connection I have with both of you that I will never have with anyone else, for being my little girls.

To my to-be son’s-in-law – for your faith in God, for your faith in my girls, for your open hearts and open minds, for the good families and friends who raised you.

To my extended family – for believing in me when I didn’t, for holding my hand when I needed it to be held, for carrying me when I needed to be carried, and for still being here.

To my female friends – for coming into my life when I needed you, for making me laugh and smile, for inspiring me to be a better person, and for movies and lunches and dinners and yoga and wine and skiing and Tahoe and walks and golf and childhood memories and the incredible act of friendship.

And to all of those who touch my life whether you’re a ski patroller, a fellow writer or blogger, a facebook buddy, or just an new or old friend  – Thank you all for bringing your smiles and your encouragement and your joy of living into my life. Thank you for teaching me a more about myself every time I’m with you or every time I read your words. Thank you for all of your gifts and for your willingness to share them.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

The Versatile Blogger Award

Just the other day I obtained the ‘Versatile Bloggers Award’ by fellow blogger and empty-nester MyLifeAfterKids. This seems to be a somewhat informal but nevertheless esteemed award given by writers/bloggers to other writers/bloggers. Many thanks to mylifeafterkids and I hope I give the award the justice it deserves.  And for those of you not familiar with her, please check out her writing.  She’s apparently fairly new at the game, but she’s rolling right along with some great pieces.

For the most part I believe that pretty much any award or special recognition imparted upon us should be considered an honor.  Okay, well maybe I wouldn’t include the Darwin Awards, but other than that, if an award has been bestowed upon you my guess is that you feel pretty darn good about it and appreciate the vote of confidence. I know I do.

Now, about this award – after a bit of research I learned that this honor does come with a few parameters. From what I understand, once given the award the recipient should do three things. Although there seems to be some confusion about number three.

• First you need to thank the blogger – which I did and I do. Thank you once again www.mylifeafterkids.wordpress.com.
• Second you are to post seven hopefully interesting and possibly entertaining tidbits about yourself that others don’t know. See below.
• And third, you are to pass the award on to what seems to be vague number of fellow bloggers.  I’ve found this could be seven, fifteen, one, or none. My choice is to do a combo.

So, seven things about me:

1.  I grew up skiing at Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  It took me several years to break free of my snowplow and learn how to turn.  I just didn’t get why I needed to ski any other way. After all I could go just as fast as everyone else if I pointed my little body straight down the hill and plowed right through the terrain.

2. I used to tell everyone I stood 5’ 2 ½”. But then my kids grew taller than me and we measured.  I barely make 5’1’’.

3. In the seclusion of my own home I secretly toy with my musical side. I can’t sing worth a darn, but I do enjoy piano and I’m learning how to play the guitar.

4. If I had my way I’d eat spicy food every night.  Hot peppers, fresh spices, garlic, horseradish – I love it all.

5. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love to decorate, I love to bake and cook, and I adore spending that time with my family.

6. Not only would I eat spicy food every night, but if it wasn’t quite so strange I would eat cereal for breakfast and lunch.

7. I’ve had stitches at least seven times and I probably should have had them at least three more.  Sharp objects and I don’t get along.

Now for a few blogs I enjoy:

Conduct the Juices – This blog is written by a fellow ski patroller. Check it out especially if you’re a runner.

Before Morning Breaks – Writer, mother, wife, very amusing blog.

Tao of Webfoot –  Written by an author and now publisher. This site gives great insight into the worlds of both writing and publishing.

Alice’s Blog  – This is a blog written by a fairly new author, and a fairly new blogger. Check it out and show her your support.

Blackwatertown –  I love this guys blog – very witty, very bright, and an author and entertainer. Worth the read.

So that’s it. Thanks again for the award. It’s much appreciated.